So What's Your Fav TV Show and Why?

So What's Your Fav TV Show and Why?

what is its appeal, best attributes.

Weve have various entertainment threads posted over the years covering music, movies and TV shows, and while many have mentioned what we like, not all have answered as to why... like what makes them interesting/appealing. Hopefully we can get a discussion going here and answer some of those questions.

I have a few shows on the boil at the moment and I will list them here with a brief description of why I like them... what it is about them that appeals to me.

1: Game of Thrones. I like fantasy TV series' a lot, especially Medieval-type ones, but this one is right up there because it has a great storyline and plot with several twists and turns throughout. The actors do a great job at portraying their characters and settings are true to fantasy tales and costuming is great. Furthermore, the series is always holding that little something back, but with frequent reminders of various storylines and characters to keep the interest alive.

2: Da Vinci's Demons. Again this is a fantasy-type series, which tries to illustrate Leonardo Da Vinci's life and what he accomplished as an artist, an inventor, a traveller, historian, medical researcher and philospher. While the series is a great drama with many twists and turns in the plot/storyline, it also touches on historical facts and prominent figures of his time, and being a history buff I very much like those inferences.

3: Orphan Black. This is a Canadian produced sci-fi thriller with one actress, Tatiana Maslany, playing several distinct and individual roles as a group of human clones. While each of the clones looks identical [facially] to the others, each has a unique and distinct personality, with each having a different background and even nationality, meaning the actress needs to pull off several accents [Ukranian, British, Canadian, German, US], which she does well. Series 1 sees a British version of the clones witnessing the suicide death of a Canadian version of herself and assuming her identity as a police woman, that is until she is discovered by her 'partner' and arrested. She is extricated from that predicament by vested interests but is then faced with life on the run from an evil corporation, law enforcement and a religious group.

4: Believe. Is about a young girl who is gifted with powers she inherited from her mother. However, a corporation with a military has vested interests in turning her into a super weapon of sorts, which sees one of its major players taking the child from a institute and going on the run with her. The girl is brought together with her father who was on death row for a murder he didn't commit and the adventure begins with them as fugitives on the run from the FBI, police and the evil head of the institute, played by Cgaig McLachlan. I like the storyline in this series because it too has twists and turns, with the girl and her father often in edge-of-the-seat predicaments in which she often uses her powers to extricate them from. The other thing I like about Believe are the conspiracy theories that underline the series throughout, they just add another dimension to the thriller concept.

There are others, but I will leave it there for now. So Come on WCers, let's not make this another short-lived thread that dies with just a handful of posters, tell us of your fav shows and why you like them.

3: Orphan Black. This is a Canadian produced sci-fi thriller with one actress, Tatiana Maslany, playing several distinct and individual roles as a group of human clones. While each of the clones looks identical [facially] to the others, each has a unique and distinct personality, with each having a different background and even nationality, meaning the actress needs to pull off several accents [Ukranian, British, Canadian, German, US], which she does well. Series 1 sees a British version of the clones witnessing the suicide death of a Canadian version of herself and assuming her identity as a police woman, that is until she is discovered by her 'partner' and arrested. She is extricated from that predicament by vested interests but is then faced with life on the run from an evil corporation, law enforcement and a religious group.

Currently....that one.

Another is Vikings...complete with an Aussie Calvin Klein model playing lead....

Tatiana is amazing...she manages to play al those roles like actual different personalities...and deserves some sort of Oscar/Emmy/whatever from her peers...

Hi starkers. Being a baby boomer, most of my favourites are from another era. Today, here in Oz at least, I find TV a waste of space. Lots of celebrity & reality (contrived) shown between an over-abundance of ads & promos. Morning shows tend towards nepotism, with half the show taken up with banter about other programs appearing on that particular channel. They specialise in panels of 30-somethings who seem to know everything about anything & generally all agree with each other. News reports are cloned from each other & appear to have come straight from the internet. Professional journalism, such as it is, would embarrass Lois Lane.

However, there are a few gems - 24 & NCIS keep me interested & Aussie Rules football & cricket, but that's about it.

Sad, really. For instance, in the 60s, a week's viewing would entail shows like Mickey Mouse Club, The Buccaneers, Ivanhoe, Tales of Texas Rangers, Jungle Jim etc for the kids. Adults had a plethora of westerns (yeah, I know) like Rawhide, Laramie, Wagon Train etc as well as The Untouchables, Naked City & others. Spoiled we were.

I haven't started with season 2 as yet, there has been other stuff I started watching first, or real life things cutting down on my TV time. I did enjoy the 1st season, however, and will catch up with season 2 on Foxtel when they run the repeats.

As for Tatiana, she is my fave actress at this point in time. Her versatility and screen presence make her a compelling actress to watch. Of the caracters she plays, my fave is the Ukranian one, Helena, cos she is so raw and sometimes fatal to others, yet so innocent in many ways... making her probably the most complex and conflicted of the clones.

I looked Tatiana up on Wikipedia to see what other TV/movie work she has done so I can keep an eye out for it when airing... which is one good thing about Foxtel, they do play some older stuff for those, who like me, like to go back and reminisce/catch up on missed episodes/show/movies, etc.

Hi starkers. Being a baby boomer, most of my favourites are from another era. Today, here in Oz at least, I find TV a waste of space. Lots of celebrity & reality (contrived) shown between an over-abundance of ads & promos. Morning shows tend towards nepotism, with half the show taken up with banter about other programs appearing on that particular channel. They specialise in panels of 30-somethings who seem to know everything about anything & generally all agree with each other. News reports are cloned from each other & appear to have come straight from the internet. Professional journalism, such as it is, would embarrass Lois Lane.

I agree, commercial TV here in Oz is total crap... cept for the cricket and league. All my TV viewing is done through Foxtel these days, though even it has devolved into showing ads and too many self-promos. However, I do like having the variety and access to overseas content almost instantly... like the commercial stations can be weeks, months and even years behind sometimes.

Sad, really. For instance, in the 60s, a week's viewing would entail shows like Mickey Mouse Club, The Buccaneers, Ivanhoe, Tales of Texas Rangers, Jungle Jim etc for the kids. Adults had a plethora of westerns (yeah, I know) like Rawhide, Laramie, Wagon Train etc as well as The Untouchables, Naked City & others. Spoiled we were.

I grew up in the 60's in the UK and enjoyed things like Dr Who, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the early days of sci-fi. I wasn't into Westerns that much myself, but my dad was and we'd often sit and watch Laramie and others together on Saturday/Sunday afternoons. I wasn't much into cop shows back then, either, but on Saturday evenings we'd watch a Brit show called Dixon of Dock Green and another called Z-Cars. I think what we most watched was the Brit comedies, and there are so many greats there I couldn't begin to name them all, not to mention the all great Brit comedians like Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan, Sid James, Harry Secombe, Windsor Davies and many, many more. Ah, those were the days.

Yeah, Person of Interest and Black Sails are two more of my faves... the former because it is sci-fi and a thriller rolled into one, plus I like the actors; the latter because it be about pirates... aarrgghhhhh!

I have watched NCIS on and off for some years now and particularly like the character of the Goth chick who does the computer wizardry and stuff. She makes that show. I haven't yet begun to watch NCIS LA, though I can catch up with it on Foxtel when I'm ready.

Yeah, and only because that busty beauty from JAG is in it.... Catherine Bell. Can't say as I blame ya... she is one of my fave actresses, though Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black tops that list by far right now

catherine bell is on army wives? i'll have to start watching that show if she is

Army Wives is either in its last season or has been cancelled. I've never watched it myself, but I understand it is due to end, or has finished in its 7th season. The only reason I knew that Catherine Bell is in it is because I did a Wikipedia search on her acting career... what she had done other than JAG.

I don't think Army Wives has aired here in Oz on free-to-air TV, so I would never have seen it, but now that I have Foxtel I could probably look it up and see what all the fuss is about.

NCIS (less than when Cote de Pablo was in it), NCIS L.A., the 24 redo, Rizzoli & Isles.

Those I could cope with, and 24 Reborn is one I've gotten into because I watched the series from the start and like Kiefer Sutherland as an actor. However, your other choices are non-starters for me. Unless there is a story of specific interest to me, our version of 60 Minutes is too dramatised, contrived and even scripted for my liking... like it is produced such a way as to force certain viewpoints down your throat. In fact, I watch none of the news and/or current affair programmes on commercial TV for that reason.

Similarly, I do not watch sports shows because they often have a bias towards or against various teams/athletes, and I just can't be bothered. Moreover, they cover many areas of sport in which I have absolutely no interest, so even if we did have 60 Minutes Sports, I wouldn't watch it.

As for believe, I did see the Firestarter inferences and see some similarities, but I view the series for its own, unique attributes. For example, I like the girl who plays the lead role as the 'gifted child' better than I liked Drew Barrymore, and the 'being on the run' concept with her fugitive father, it just has a nice touch to it.

Hi starkers. Being a baby boomer, most of my favourites are from another era. Today, here in Oz at least, I find TV a waste of space. Lots of celebrity & reality (contrived) shown between an over-abundance of ads & promos. Morning shows tend towards nepotism, with half the show taken up with banter about other programs appearing on that particular channel. They specialise in panels of 30-somethings who seem to know everything about anything & generally all agree with each other. News reports are cloned from each other & appear to have come straight from the internet. Professional journalism, such as it is, would embarrass Lois Lane.

However, there are a few gems - 24 & NCIS keep me interested & Aussie Rules football & cricket, but that's about it.

Sad, really. For instance, in the 60s, a week's viewing would entail shows like Mickey Mouse Club, The Buccaneers, Ivanhoe, Tales of Texas Rangers, Jungle Jim etc for the kids. Adults had a plethora of westerns (yeah, I know) like Rawhide, Laramie, Wagon Train etc as well as The Untouchables, Naked City & others. Spoiled we were.

Ah, Callan, one of my favourite TV shows of all time. Some may think it's dated but I can easity watch it again... same with Red Dwarf, Black Books and Black Adder... and I quite like Luther as well.

And no, they are not current, but the point of the thread is to discuss favourite TV shows, and not necessarily from any specific era because so many of the older shows are available on DVD or are getting revived... ie, Birds of a Feather, Jonathon Creek. So while it can be about the now, those who wish to discuss older TV series are equally welcome to post their thoughts.

add Daniel Boone, Maverick, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, George and Gracie, The Jack Benny Show, and Make Room For Daddy to that list. i watch them daily. MeTV, COZI, and ENCORE Westerns are my favorite networks. as for new show, i've enjoyed watching The 100 lately and i'm anxiously awaiting the return of Defiance. the new show NCIS NO will be on my list, i'm sure, when it premiers this fall.

add Daniel Boone, Maverick, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, George and Gracie, The Jack Benny Show, and Make Room For Daddy to that list. i watch them daily. MeTV, COZI, and ENCORE Westerns are my favorite networks. as for new show, i've enjoyed watching The 100 lately and i'm anxiously awaiting the return of Defiance. the new show NCIS NO will be on my list, i'm sure, when it premiers this fall.

As I said earlier, I'm not really a fan of Westerns, but that's one I didn't mind was Wyatt Earp with Hugh O'Brien. Another was Hec Ramsay with Richard Boone... then there was F-Troop, whether or not you'd classify it as a Western or a comedy.

I recently got into The 100 and The Tomorrow People, which sadly got axed after just a few episodes.... and yeah, I too am awaiting the return of Defiance, with Aussie Grant Bowler in the lead role. Another show I got into and quite liked is Revolution, but it too got axed just prior to the end of season 2, despite it having a good following.

Yes, current shows are probably the focus because... they are current, but some of the older shows are getting reruns and/or remakes, not to mention their availability on DVD or Bluray, so posters could provide information to those who missed them first time around and would like something different to watch. That's the whole idea of the thread, throw around a few show names to present people with alternative viewing ideas.

Quoting starkers, reply 13Ah, Callan, one of my favourite TV shows of all time. Some may think it's dated but I can easity watch it again...

I have everything that survives...on DVD. Much of the B/W series are long gone..... same reason as the early Dr Who.... blame the BEEB...

Sadly, my version of Callan was on VHS and had seen better days... tape deterioration over time, a couple of chews, etc, and not really salvagable for digital transfer, so it was deposited with love and a tear or two into my bin. I've not found a DVD/Bluray copy anywhere since, not that I've looked that hard, but I may inquire with relatives in the UK to improve my chances of finding it. I'm told there has been a resurgence of bygone TV shows over there, and that some rarities have been discovered. In fact, some of the missing Dr Who episodes were discovered not that long ago and were being lovingly restored by some enthusiasts at the BBC, so may just be lucky yet.

A couple of years ago I really, really, really wanted a DVD copy of The Secret War of Harry Frigg with Paul Newman, and no matter which store I went to it was "Nah, can't get that, it's out of production.", yet my aunt [mother's sister] in the UK located a copy over there and sent it to me [gotta love region-free DVD players], so there's always hope, says me.

The Callan DVDs are readily available in Oz...even the 'Innovations' catalogue has them. [Entertainment Masters].

Much of the lost Who stuff was found in ABC archives here in Oz. The BBC had a habit of re-using video tape after a show was aired....thus the only copies ever available were in 'distribution'.....remember....this was all before domestic VHS [and a chance a private person had made a copy].

Ages ago I taped the ABC shows...Janus...and Phoenix [crime/corruption dramas in Oz...back in the days we did good shit]...and since transferred them to DVD.

The Callan DVDs are readily available in Oz...even the 'Innovations' catalogue has them. [Entertainment Masters].

I shall have to look more earnestly, then. Last time I enquired in Brisbane [CBD] stores - which I must admit was quite some time back - none had copies and all were saying they couldn't order them as they were no longer catalogued. It would be good to acquire them locally to save shipping costs if my aunt did happen to find the DVDs... haven't asked as yet so no surprise COD packages.

Yes... I do! The idea is to have a discussion, to say why you like it so others are better/more informed about their viewing choices. With so many shows coming and going, getting axed just a few episodes in, and interesting titles that turn out to be reality crap, a regular TV guide can get confusing, not to mention somewhat uninformative. Yes, there are probably websites around with TV series information, but sometimes it's nice to read about shows from a non-professional viewpoint.... and where better to read personal likes and thoughts on various shows than our own WC forums?

Lately been watching "Big Bang Theory" because it is just too funny in that it so accurately depicts people in my life! LOL It is like watching home movies!

I don't mind BBT myself. It's one of those shows that draws you in with the various characters and their antics. Sheldon is one of my favourites in the show because he seems indignant, almost offended at most every opportunity... and often it looks like he has a stick stuck somewhere when he's getting around, so it adds to his quirky character. Yes, BBT is great for a change of pace after watching a thriller or action show, and it's one I'll often go to when channel surfing for something light after watching something more heavy duty.

Hehe, you must have some interesting friends, etc, if the characters of BBT remind you of them... home movies, eh?

I shall have to look more earnestly, then. Last time I enquired in Brisbane [CBD] stores - which I must admit was quite some time back - none had copies and all were saying they couldn't order them as they were no longer catalogued. It would be good to acquire them locally to save shipping costs if my aunt did happen to find the DVDs... haven't asked as yet so no surprise COD packages.